This image displays redness and swelling of the skin around the nails due to a chronic yeast infection; the nails seen here are short and lifting due to the chronic inflammation. The swelling of the skin around the nail in the finger is typical of candidal paronychia.
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Nail Infection, Bacterial (Paronychia):
A parent's guide for infants and babies

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Picture of Nail Infection, Bacterial (Paronychia): This image displays redness and swelling of the skin around the nails due to a chronic yeast infection; the nails seen here are short and lifting due to the chronic inflammation. Divider line
This image displays redness and swelling of the skin around the nails due to a chronic yeast infection; the nails seen here are short and lifting due to the chronic inflammation.
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Overview
Paronychia, commonly known as a bacterial nail infection, involves inflammation of the nail beds of fingers and/or toes and is usually the result of a bacterial infection (although it can be caused by a yeast or virus, typically the herpes simplex virus). There are 2 types of paronychia; acute (short term) and chronic (long term). 
  • Acute paronychia appears as redness, warmth, tenderness, and swelling along the edge of the nail. It often occurs as a result of a break in the skin.
  • Chronic paronychia will appear the same way but is a more gradual development, and may be the result of finger or thumb sucking common in infants. It may also form as the result of debris underneath the fingernail, which becomes a favorable environment for bacteria to grow. It is important to keep infants' hands clean and dry, especially when they become old enough to grasp objects.
Last Modified: 18 Oct 2007

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